Destcember 2019
by TheWolfParadox
Summary: A collection of short oneshots for some of the the Destcember 2019 prompts.
1. A Long Shadow

**Day 3 - A Long Shadow**

Osiris regarded the other person in his study and wondered if he'd made the right decision. It was a question he often found himself coming back to.

He wasn't what anyone would describe as a social person. He hadn't been before he left the Tower and his time spent in the Infinite Forest only served to turn him into even more of a recluse. Even his former student Ikora Rey - one of the Guardians he'd been closest to - didn't really understand him.

It made him wonder why he'd invited Harley Hayden to stay in the Infinite Forest and learn to manipulate Vex tech. He rarely agreed to things like that, let alone initiating them. He usually found other minds too narrow for his taste and part of him had worried that Hayden would be the same. However, the Hunter had proven to be interesting company so far, despite his age and being a Hunter.

Osiris didn't have a problem with Hunters or Titans, but he found that Guardians of those disciplines tended to be less concerned with the "whys" and "hows". Hayden wasn't like that. He also didn't seem to be as impatient as most Guardians were when they were as young as he was.

At the moment, he was using one of the viewscreens to look at the snow falling in the simulated environment outside of the fortress.

Osiris frowned. He was pretty sure that most people didn't watch snowfall with such a morose expression. Part of him wanted to bring it up, but he shut that part of himself down. He was getting too soft.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what was bothering the young Hunter. He knew that Hayden had already experienced a lot more than many Guardians did in such a short amount of time. The Hunter had shared some things. But there was definitely more that he was keeping to himself.

A cloud seemed to follow him wherever he went. Sometimes, it seemed as though a great weight sat on his shoulders. Something was dragging at his conscience.

Osiris turned away. If he kept watching Hayden for much longer, Sagira was bound to comment on it. He resumed his work. He had to see to the defenses of his stronghold, ever tested as they were by the Vex. But his thoughts remained on Hayden.

They hadn't spent very long together yet. It was possible that the Hunter would eventually share the source of his despondency. Hayden did a good job of hiding it, but sooner or later, he would have to face it. Osiris just hoped that when he did, he would be able to step back into the light.


	2. Dark Side of the Moon

**Day 4 - Dark Side of the Moon**

Kai was tired.

She always seemed to feel tired at this particular time of year, the later months of fall into the early months of winter. She supposed the holidays played a part in it. After all, the Festival of the Lost always seemed to lead right into the Dawning. And more had happened this year than usual. The Red War was freshly ended, still present in everyone's minds.

But she wasn't standing out on the balcony of Ace's quarters because of the Red War. She was there to remember something else. Something far more distant.

A cold wind picked up and she shivered, the paper lantern in her hands being the only source of warmth. Lanterns would have been released earlier that night in a large gathering, but she always kept one to release alone. Many years ago, she would have been celebrating the Dawning with other members of the Firebreak Order.

The Order had accepted her as one of her own after Twilight Gap when she had chosen to remain in the City instead of returning to the Sunbreaker headquarters on Mercury. It wasn't easy to leave behind everything she'd known, but the Firebreak Order had made it bearable.

After the conflict with the Hive at the Battle of Burning Lake, she had accompanied many other members of her order in a lunar invasion. They had gone to the Moon in search of the Hive and it was the Hive they found waiting.

Such a force had never before been assembled and after the battle, never would be again. Sometimes when she closed her eyes, Kai could still see the green fire that blazed across the lunar sky.

No Guardian could stand before Crota and live, though many tried. His dark blade had cut through the best and brightest of them, eating their Light. The conflict had swiftly transformed from a battle into a massacre as Guardians were slaughtered by the hundreds.

Kai remembered hearing the order to retreat. She couldn't accept it at first. Titans didn't run from fights, they finished them. But seeing her friends' and teammates' bodies strewn across the lunar rock had snapped her out of it. There would be only one outcome if she stayed. The only victory was that of continued existence. Kai hadn't liked it, but she obeyed, racing in a frantic flight away from the Hive legions. No vengeance would be found upon those battlefields, only death.

Only when she had, at last, made it to a transmat zone and was seated once more inside her jump ship, did she allow herself to feel the relief of her escape.

As Felix mended her injuries and restored her armor, the full weight of it made itself known. She pressed her hands to her mouth, tears streaming from her eyes as she grieved for her fallen friends.

One minute. That was all the time she allowed herself before straightening up and programming a course for the Tower. As much as she wanted to put a fist through her ship's console, she couldn't. She knew she would be expected to give a report. The Vanguard had to know that the Moon was lost to them. Any attempt to retake it would mean death.

The ship flew on and Kai tried not to feel anything. Felix attempted a few comforting words, but they both knew that words meant nothing in the face of such a disaster. So instead of talking, Kai had just stared into her Ghost's eye, taking solace in the steady blue glow.

Her arrival at the Tower passed in a blur, a constant stream of grieving faces asking question after question. Her report to the Vanguard was broken and disjointed, but she could tell by the looks on their faces that they understood. She had a hazy memory of Lord Shaxx being there. He had led her away afterwards, talking seemingly to himself. He'd mentioned "Ascendant Swords" and "the Consensus" several times. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she could hear the quiet anger in his voice. Everyone knew that it was a bad sign when Shaxx got quiet like that.

Kai blinked. Tears had marked freezing trails down her face. The wind whistled through the buildings.

Felix looked at her. "Are you ready?"

She nodded.

Lifting the lantern to the heavens, she released it.

It had been many years since the Great Disaster. But in other ways, it hadn't been that long. So the Titan and her Ghost watched the lantern float away into the night, the names of her fallen teammates emblazoned on the side.


	3. Last Man Standing

TYPE: RECORDED SIMULATION FEED [INFINITE FOREST ORGN]

PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1] Guardian-type, Class Hunter, designate Harley Hayden [AKA Ace] [h]; One [1] Ghost-type, designate Prism [p]

ASSOCIATIONS: Convergence; Paracausality; Vex; Osiris; Traveler; Infinite Forest, Mercury; Light; Last City, The

/AUDIO PRESERVED/

/TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS…/

[h:01] Play it again.

[p:01] You've seen it 37 times now in multiple variations.

[h:02] We need to be sure.

[p:02] _I'm_ sure.

[silence]

[p:03] Very well.

[h:03] It's dark again.

[p:04] It always is.

[h:04] Are we sure it isn't Convergence?

[p:05] Data indicates the presence of a concentrated paracausal force that isn't present in any of the simulations involving Convergence.

[h:05] Scan for signs of Vex presence.

[silence]

[p:06] Scans came up negative. [beat] We should inform Osiris-

[h:06] Not until we're sure. We don't know that this means anything. [beat] Scan for the Traveler.

[silence]

[p:07] Scans show no trace of the Traveler's signature. Just like the other 37 times.

[h:07] What about life forms? Has that changed?

[p:08] Scanning…

[silence]

[p:09] There are any number of unknown life forms. One human.

[silence]

[h:08] It's me again, isn't it?

[silence]

[h:09] How long do we have?

[p:10] Unclear. It could be decades in the future. Or tomorrow. There are too many shifting variables. Even the Forest isn't always certain.

[h:10] Then there's a chance it might not happen at all.

[silence]

[h:11] What?

[p:11] More variations are popping up. We should log this for Osiris. I'll end the simulation.

[h:12] There has to be a different one. We just haven't looked at enough possibilities yet.

[p:12] Then let Osiris and his Reflections do it. You could spend years looking through them all.

[silence]

[h:13] You don't think there is one, do you?

[p:13] I think you should prepare yourself for the possibility that-

[h:14] No. It has to be out there.

[p:14] In all 37 simulations, the Light was gone, the City was gone, and you stood alone in the shadow of-

[h:15] I won't let it happen.

[p:15] You have no way to keep that promise.

[h:16] Then I'll find a way. [beat] Run it again.

[silence]

[p:16] Mark this as the 39th scenario. [sigh] Beginning simulation...


	4. Unhealed Wounds

TYPE: TRANSMISSION

STATUS: SENT

PARTIES: One [1]. One [1] Ghost-type, designate Prism [p]

RECIPIENT: One [1]. One [1] Ghost type, designate Rhys

ASSOCIATIONS:

/AUDIO PRESERVED/

/TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS.../

[p:01] Rhys,

I wish I could talk to you in person, but comms are finicky inside the Infinite Forest. The other Chasers should have received Harley's message via Brother Vance, but in case you haven't, that's where we are. We found Osiris, if you can believe it. He's been inside the Forest all this time! He's teaching Harley to use Vex tech, so expect some neat tricks when we get back.

But the real reason I'm contacting you is because I'm worried about Harley. You're one of the few Ghosts I've talked to about him and I don't want to bother Spark and Delta when their Guardians are so busy. What I'm about to tell you is extremely confidential, so you mustn't tell anyone, not even Liv.

When Harley crashed Ghaul's ship at the end of the Red War, he died. I couldn't revive him, not even when the Light returned. But while he was dead, he spoke to the Traveler. The Traveler told him that he carried a piece of Darkness inside of him from when he was Taken. It was this piece of Darkness that prevented me from reaching his spark and it's also the source of my worry now.

It's still inside of him, Rhys. The Traveler wasn't able to remove it. I'm hoping that it's unable to gain a hold due to the return of the Light, but I can't help wondering if it will grow in strength. Maybe a time will come when Harley will die and I won't be able to reach him again.

I know it's a long shot, but if you have any advice for a situation like this, I would be very grateful.

I hope this transmission finds you well,

Prism.


	5. Taken On Me

You are a Hunter. Wanderer of wild places. Seeker of forgotten secrets.

You have been Taken.

Set down your firearms. Discard your cloak. Your vows mean nothing. You are free from your obligations.

What do you fight for? What drives you to wander?

Your strength lies in movement. You scout the ravaged lands and reap sweet rewards. Your home is nowhere. Your home is everywhere. But you are bound to the Vanguard. You are bidden to return. Your wanderings are cut short.

You must have independence.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [you walk by yourself].

Take up the knife. Begin your journey. Take your new shape.


End file.
